1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrosurgical devices and, more specifically, to controlling multiple electrosurgical devices from a single controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Laparoscopic surgery is increasingly common. The principle of laparoscopic surgery is to perform a surgical procedure with small keyhole incisions. Usually, two or three such keyhole incisions are made in the abdomen for insertion of a telescopic video camera, laparoscopic instruments and electrosurgical devices. Electrosurgical devices are used in both open surgical and laparoscopic surgical procedures to cut and coagulate tissue. Various types of electrosurgical devices are known, including those that use diathermy with either unipolar or bipolar current, and advanced devices such as harmonic scissors and argon beam and laser devices. Monopolar and bipolar devices use one or two electrodes, respectively, to deliver electrical energy from a current source to the surgical site. By varying the voltage, current, or waveform of the electrical energy delivered by the electrode, surgeons can cut tissue cleanly, coagulate tissue to stop bleeding, or produce a “blended cut” that combines these two functions.
A surgeon may use more than one electrosurgical device in a major surgical procedure. The surgeon operates each device independently of the others, typically using a foot pedal control connected to the device. Thus, the surgeon may have at his or her feet several foot pedal controls, each for operating a different device. Multiple foot pedal controls on the floor beneath the operating table create the potential for confusion and increased risk of injury when the surgeon looks under the table to locate the foot pedal control associated with the particular electrosurgical device he or she intends to use, thereby losing sight of the surgical field. The potential for confusion is compounded by the foot pedals of different devices having different uses or functions. For example, unipolar electrosurgical devices commonly have two foot pedals: depressing one pedal causes the device to apply a high-power signal to the electrode for cutting tissue; depressing the other pedal causes the device to apply a lower-power signal to the electrode for coagulating tissue. Bipolar electrosurgical devices most commonly have only one foot pedal, which, when depressed, causes the device to energize or apply a signal to the electrode, i.e., it turns the power on. (Releasing it de-energizes the electrode.) Some bipolar devices include a second pedal, but the functions of the two pedals of a bipolar device are different from those of unipolar devices: depressing one pedal causes the bipolar device to, as described above, turn the power on; depressing the other pedal causes the device to increase the power (proportionately to the amount of time that pedal is depressed). Thus, there is a rist of injury due to surgeon confusion arising from the differing functions associated with the foot pedals.
Additionally, because the surgeon may operate multiple electrosurgical devices independantly from each other in a major surgical procedure, there is no system to evacuate smoke when the devices perform cutting or coagulation functions. Delay evacuating smoke can cause difficulty in viewing the surgical field and may necessitate delay in the surgery while smoke is evacuated from the surgical field. Further, in the past, surgeons would have to stop using one electrosurgical device to insert a vacuum and remove any smoke and debris, causing further delay in the surgical procedure.
It would be desirable to provide a control system for electrosurgical devices operated by foot pedals or similar controls that alleviates the potential for confusion and that allows for activation of a smoke evacuation system when a surgical function is performed. The present invention addresses this problem and others in the manner described below.